The US Air Force Cadet Chapel

Last weekend my husband and I accompanied a community club to an outing at the United States Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, to attend a brunch held at the officer's club, The Falcon Room. While there, we also went for a quick visit to the Cadet Air Force Chapel--a building I have often seen in photos and wanted to see in person. This iconic Colorado landmark was begun in 1959 and completed in 1963. Its principal designer and architect was Walter A Netsch, a Chicago native. (All photos, and photo collages, will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)

The US Air Force Academy is nestled along with the scenic front range, east of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains, in an area north of Colorado Springs, Colorado.  It holds a dual role as an Air Force installation and a military academy university for officer candidates for the United States Air Force. The altitude of the campus is 7,258 feet.

The buildings in the cadet area were designed in a modernist style and are set around a large square pavilion known as "The Terrazzo." Portions of the campus are open to the public to tour, and Cadet Chapel is one of the most popular sites, drawing a half million visitors a year.  The Cadet Chapel's aluminum, glass and steel structure soars more than 150 feet high. Its 17 spires can be easily spotted from Interstate 25, several miles east.

The chapel spires reach toward the deep blue Colorado sky and are very inspiring to see!

The granite steps in front lead to the main level and the Protestant chapel. Cadet Chapel was designed specifically to house three distinct worship areas under a single roof  The Protestant nave is located on the upper level, while the Catholic and Jewish chapels and a Buddhist room are located beneath it. Beneath this level is a larger room used for Islamic services and two meeting rooms that can be utilized for other faiths. Each chapel has its own entrance, and services may be held simultaneously without interfering with one another. There is also an outdoor Earth-Centered area called the Falcon Circle.

Inside, the main chapel's soaring roof is illuminated by stained glass windows and draws one's eyes forward towards the front ...

Where the 46-foot high cross...

 ...and Italian marble back altar can be seen.

The side windows are also trimmed with stained glass, and along with the glass in the roof gives the chapel a warm glow.

The ribbons of stained glass keep changing colors with the light and the effect is mesmerizing.

This photo was taken from the altar, looking towards the narthex in the rear of the chapel, where you can see the choir balcony and organ. The main chapel can seat 1,200 people.

We were also able to visit the Catholic Chapel, which can seat 500 people. It was rimmed by beautiful stained glass windows, which also contained panels depicting the Stations of the Cross.

Of course, the reason for our visit to the Air Force Academy this time was to enjoy a buffet brunch with our community club members in the Falcon Club, where we were treated to a choice of many wonderful entrees. The Falcon club is open to retired and active Air Force and employees of the USAF.

Regretfully, I did not take my Nikon DSLR camera along with me on this visit, as I was not sure if cameras would be allowed on the base, so the photos in this post were taken with my cell phone and a smaller camera. I hope to be able to take a longer visit to Cadet Chapel in a future post and explore more of the grounds, but I hope you enjoyed this introduction to one of Colorado's most-visited man-made attractions!